Paan, bidi and shisha

Tobacco that you don’t smoke (including paan, betel quid and chewing tobacco) is not a 'safe' way to use tobacco. It causes cancer and can be as addictive as smoking. Find out the risks and how you can quit.

Chewing tobacco and cancer risk

Betel quid, paan or gutkha is a mixture of ingredients, including betel nut (also called areca nut), herbs, spices and often tobacco, wrapped in a betel leaf. Chewing smokeless tobacco, such as paan or gutkha, is popular with many people from south Asian communities, but all forms of tobacco can harm your health. Research has shown that using smokeless tobacco raises the risk of mouth cancer and oesophageal cancer. Studies have also found that betel itself can raise the risk of cancer, so chewing betel quid without tobacco is still harmful.

Cigarettes, bidi and shisha

Smoking increases your risk of cancer, heart disease and respiratory problems. This is true whether you smoke cigarettes, bidi (thin cigarettes of tobacco wrapped in brown tendu leaf) or shisha (also known as a water pipe or hookah). A World Health Organization study has suggested that during one session on a water pipe (around 20 to 80 minutes) a person can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming 100 or more cigarettes.

Want to quit smoking?

Contact Peterborough Healthy Lifestyles service on freephone 0800 376 56 55.Did you know that you're up to four times more likely to quit successfully with their expert help and advice?